Misty Jazz Piano Lesson
Misty is one of the most popular jazz ballads and the distinctive melody is immediately recognisable amongst musicians. The tune is written in the key of Eb major and follows an A1 – A2 – B – A2 Form. The tonality is primarily major with some altered harmony sprinkled in here and there.
Before diving into the chords of Misty it’s a good idea to get a solid grasp of the melody. The melodic range of Misty is 2 octaves with the lowest note being the F below middle C and the highest note being F an octave above middle C. This is quite some range and so as you can imagine, your right hand will be kept busy when playing this standard.
Another interesting feature of the melody is the eight-note and quarter-note triplet sections which add a lot of rhythmic interest to slow tempo ballads such as Misty.
Related Lessons
Block chords are used for harmonising a melody line by moving the notes of the chord in parallel, following the same rhythm as the melody.
In a minor 251, the 5 chord will be an altered dominant chord. In this lesson we apply altered dominant chords to the major 251 progression.
Upper structure triads are complex sounding altered dominant chords. They will add texture and sophistication to your playing.
Practice Tips
Take a listen to Erroll Garner's version of this tune below. This is the definitive recording of Misty:
